FAIRFIELD — The ghost hunters gather between two twisted black willow trees, standing ready to present evidence of beings they've seen, voices they've heard — things they know to be true.

Camp Floyd — the site of the abandoned and buried Johnston's army post and an old, creaky Stagecoach Inn — echoes the memories of lonely soldiers and travelers from times past. It's a ghost hunter's paradise. And as the golden leaves fall from the ancient willow trees, these ghost hunters tell tales of a connection to a world beyond death.

Members of the group RIP, short for Research Investigations of the Paranormal, came to Camp Floyd to find out if it was really haunted. They tried the old schoolhouse first and caught an orb, what looks like a ball of light, on film. In the old cemetery they caught an EVP, or an electric voice phenomenon, on tape. In their opinion, Camp Floyd is definitely haunted.

They presented their findings, as well as more otherworldly experiences, on Saturday at Camp Floyd.

"We are surprised at what we catch at the times we don't expect it," said Deborah Lowe, co-founder of RIP. "We catch things in the comings and goings and the trippings and dropping equipment, things like that."

What may seem to some people like air simply flowing past the microphone is communication from the next stage of life to these ghost hunters. They hear voices in the recordings — from a little girl saying "we believe the things we hope" to a ghastly re-creation of a nightmare from a horror movie howling, "avenge your murder — KILL!"

Members of Utah's Unexplained, another paranormal research and assistance group, also came to Camp Floyd to seek out the haunted.

April Page, one of the co-founders of the group, said that as she went through the old military commissary building and looked at a reproduction of a soldier's uniform, she made a note on her analog tape recorder that it was a very nice reproduction. When the group went back to listen to the tape, they could hear someone mimicking her in a coarse whisper: "REPRODUCTION."

Both groups are quick to emphasize their findings are based on scientific evidence.

"We're a very scientifically based research organization," said James Boley, co-founder and photographer for Utah's Unexplained. "When we come, we're looking for scientific evidence, whether it be photographs, EVPs, video — something that can have undeniable proof of something being paranormal."

He said the group also likes debunking even more than collecting evidence.

The group had just entered a room on the creaky second floor in the Stagecoach Inn when Boley heard a growl from the corner of the room. As the group evaluated potential sources for the sound, they discovered a floorboard was causing a table to shake and it sounded exactly like a growl.

"If you stare down a dark hallway long enough, you're going to end up seeing things," said Brian Bocklemann, case manager and lead investigator for the group.

However, both groups say their ultimate goal is to help people conquer their fears, real or imagined.

"We don't think people should go through this life scared and afraid, especially of things that really shouldn't have fears behind them," said Michelle Lowe, co-founder of RIP and Deborah Lowe's sister. "For the most part, there's nothing to fear."

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